


homework for dummies

by insaneli



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Basketball, Cute, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Self-Indulgent, Studying, cute boyfriends, dojae, lapslock, yuwin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 14:25:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14917052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insaneli/pseuds/insaneli
Summary: yuta doesn't hate homework so much anymore





	homework for dummies

**Author's Note:**

> just a soft rant tbh. and this has been sitting in my drafts for ages.

a piercing whistle once again ricochets throughout the hall as the basketball escapes yuta’s hands once again and rolls outside the court. he smiles apologetically at his teammates, who shoot him reassuring grins and thumbs up. they know he isn’t in tip top shape and the best of minds right now, with debate tournaments coming up and his homework pile getting even higher. 

“yuta-ah! get it together!” their coach, mr donghae shouts at him, hands clenched aggressively. 

“sorry ‘bout that, coach!” yuta yells back with a grin. 

they continue to practice, heavy pants filling the hall and they scurry throughout the basketball court. a symphony of squeaky shoes and the dribbling of the ball has become a daily soundtrack of their lives, ingrained into their minds, molded into their very identity. they’re all bonded by basketball, a shared passion that sends adrenaline into their veins and makes them feel alive. 

practice soon ends with a piercing whistle from the coach and a few mandatory motivational phrases. yuta’s extremely tired, and the only thing on his mind right now is sleep. he drags his sore limbs to the showers, wincing when his muscles contract painfully. jaehyun, who’s walking beside him, shoots him a sympathetic smile and tells him, “don’t be too hard on yourself, okay?” 

yuta nods, heart swelling at his friend’s kind words. jaehyun and him were close friends, but their friendship mainly consisted of endearing insults and middle fingers. hearing these words from jaehyun was refreshing but he was slightly weirded out from the sudden affection. 

sensing the confusion on yuta’s face, jaehyun immediately snorts and swats his arm. his hand retracts at the touch of yuta’s sticky, sweaty skin and he opts to kick yuta in the shin instead, earning a glare from the latter. 

“don’t you give that face, hyung. i know what you were thinking and ew, i would never have a crush on you,” jaehyun crosses his arms, raising his eyebrows. 

“no shit sherlock. you’re too in love with doyoung to notice any other guy or girl throwing themselves on you,” yuta shoots back in contempt, the teasing lilt in his voice being the only hint that he’s joking. 

jaehyun blushes at that, momentarily speechless. this makes yuta grin thrumpiantly, and he slaps his friend’s shoulder with one eyebrow raised. they arrive at the showers, and both part ways to clean themselves of sweat and stink. yuta opens his locker and pulls out his spare set of clothes from his bag along with his toiletries. he limps slowly to the showers. 

after a refreshing shower and a fresh change of clothes, yuta steps out of the cubicle and heads towards his locker to keep his things and get out. he yells a goodbye to jaehyun and escapes the school hall quickly. adjusting the strap of his backpack, he heads towards the library to finish his never-ending pile of homework. 

stepping into the library, he’s greeted by a gust of cold air, wincing as he feels his scalp tingle. his hair is still wet from the shower just now, and he feels an ounce of regret for not drying it sooner. sighing, he quickly locates a spare study table not far away from the computers and makes his way there with big strides. his head is already pounding from the incoming workload, but at least he’ll have some quality music with him. 

he sets down his books and takes out his writing materials, gathering himself before pulling out his physics book. he taps the selected playlist and starts to solve the questions stated on the book. yuta’s always been smart, acing his subjects with relative ease. but he loved basketball too, and that was his kryptonite. finding the balance between his studies and basketball wasn’t easy, and he was fine for a while, but final year rolled around and yuta was back to tipping the equilibrium. he’s still trying though, and that’s all that matters. 

snapping out of his thoughts, he goes back to racking his head for answers for his homework. physics has never been yuta’s strength, so he has to work extra hard to ace it at times. moving onto question by question, he solves them slowly and surely with the occasional peek at the answers for confirmation. however, his smooth train of thought is soon halted as his eyes scan the last question, and he’s dumbfounded. furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, yuta flips open his textbook for guidance, and a frown reaches his face when he finds nothing. 

this isn’t covered in the textbook? 

bewildered, he flips the textbook back and forth once more to check for the material but to no avail. he huffs and leans back against the back of his chair. pulling out his earphones, he covers his face with his hands, giving up a little. yuta decides to rest for a while and stays there, face hidden and eyes closed. he’s feeling drained from physics already, but he still has 2 more subjects to finish. 

i’ll just be like this for ten minutes, then i’ll get back to studying. 

>>

“uh, excuse me? the library’s closing soon, yuta hyung,” a soft but deep voice graces his ears, sounding very familiar. 

yuta jolts up, hands flying down to his lap and eyes wide open. his vision is still blurry, but after a few blinks, he can see better. his physics workbook is still splayed open on the table and his stationery is strewed across his books. he can’t believe that he wasted his time sleeping in the library instead of finishing his due homework. guess he’ll have to pull another all-nighter. 

frustration bubbles inside him and he runs his finger through his purple hair, sighing. he’s extremely tired for sure, but academics are important and he can’t risk getting kicked off the team just because of one mere failed subject. he’ll ask jaehyun’s boyfriend for help as a last resort, after all doyoung is the future valedictorian of the class. 

someone gulps behind him and he remembers the librarian’s presence and his familiar voice. thinking it’s probably someone from his class, he turns around. as soon as he wants to say “thanks”, the words die in his throat when he recognises the boy behind him. 

dong sicheng. a transfer student from china. amazing at traditional dance and quickly earned the respect of the school’s dance team after only three months due to his dedication to the art. the boy was extremely flexible too, to the envy of the cheerleaders. he could do splits and fan kicks with little to no ease, at least that’s what yuta could tell from that one performance of sicheng he watched last year. 

oh, yuta might have a slight adoration for the boy too. nothing too serious, except that yuta wants to hug and kiss him all the time, especially when he sees the pink-haired boy in between classes. he isn’t sure how his feelings grew, but he guessed it was after the performance. the sight of sicheng dancing gracefully, slender arms elegantly extending and steps light still stays in his mind, the ethereal scene never fading. 

both of them weren’t extremely close, having exchanged only a few words and pleasantries before. yuta knows little about sicheng, but the latter’s soft features was enough for him to fall, hook, line and sinker. he know sicheng os nice and kind, since they have a mutual friend, taeyong who’s on the dance team. sicheng is responsible too, the finances of the dance team handled carefully by him. only the occasional splurge on costumes and makeup were allowed, the rest prohibited strictly. 

sicheng is puzzled at yuta. the elder seems to be faraway, mouth slightly parted and eyes misty. yuta still looks as beautiful as ever though, with his multiple earrings dangling from both ears, purple hair all mesed up and jawline still looking oh so angular. sicheng blushes at his thoughts, berating himself for having feelings for the basketball player. he was well out of the chinese’s league, or so he thought. 

sicheng hesitantly waves his hand in front of yuta’s face, making the latter snap instantly out of his daze. two patches of crimson adorn yuta’s cheeks and he recollects himself. stop making a fool out of yourself, he chides internally. he feels glad that the younger isn’t teasing him or worse, making a fuss out of him sleeping in the library. the last thing he needs now is utter embarrassment and humiliation. 

“t-thanks, sicheng,” yuta finally says, smiling at the said boy. 

“no p-problem, yuta hyung,” sicheng blushes at the sight of yuta’s incredibly blinding smile and nearly collapses.

yuta turns back to his table and begins packing up his books. he stares at his physics book one last time, brain still trying to piece the solution together but failing once again. sighing, he gives up and shoves it into his bag. he’ll figure it out eventually, he still has the whole night anyways. a cup of strong coffee and red bull can help him get through all this. 

he stands up and swings the backpack over his shoulder, arms scooping up the remaining books. he pushes his chair back in with his leg and checks the table one last time for any left items. making sure there isn’t anything on the table, he strides to the glass doors that mark the exit of the library. 

he stands outside and whips out his phone to call jaehyun to help him buy a cup of black coffee from the shop he works at. he punches in the numbers and lifts the phone to his ear. an automated voice greets him, saying that the person he’s calling isn’t available. yuta groans and hangs up. he decides to head down to the shop himself, maybe he’ll grab a couple of buns too. 

“yuta hyung? i thought you left already,” sicheng’s gentle voice once again graces his ears. 

yuta swivels around and spots the pink-haired librarian standing behind him. he beckons sicheng to come stand beside him and the latter obliges. sicheng looks so adorable in that purple sweater and round glasses, hair slightly tousled and eyes sparkling. 

“yea, i was about to leave but i had to call jaehyun to help me buy a cup of coffee. too bad he’s not picking up,” yuta explains while waving his phone. 

“coffee? at ten pm?” sicheng questions cutely. 

“yea, i have to pull an all-nighter to finish my homework,” he says abashedly, eyes darting to the ground. 

“oh. do you need help with it? i’m pretty good at it. not that you have to accept my offer i just thought it would be nice of me to t-” sicheng rambles before getting cut off from the elder. 

“really? you would help me? with physics?” the basketball is absolutely ecstatic, having found a helping hand. 

sicheng nods slowly, blushing. he has no idea why he proposed that idea, even though his physics is truthfully second best in class. the courage just appeared out of nowhere, and an ounce of shame was gnawing at his stomach. however, all that disappeared when he saw yuta’s beautiful smile beaming at him, eyes glistening with relief. 

“let’s go grab a cup of coffee now, then we’ll go to my dorm?” yuta proposes. 

unable to find coherent words, sicheng only nods and both boys begin walking in the direction of the quaint coffee shop. an awkward silence falls as no words are spoken to fill the void between them. for the first time in his life, yuta doesn’t know what to say. he’s struggling to even mumble out a word of gratitude and all that just gets stuck in his throat. subconsciously, he lets out a groan at this. 

“you okay, hyung?” sicheng asks him softly, turning his head to look at him. 

“y-yea i’m fine,” yuta stutters under sicheng’s gaze, once again blushing. “so you’re from china, right?” 

sicheng nods, “i moved here a year ago with my family. you’re from japan?” 

“yup, moved here around five years ago.” 

the two boys continue to talk merrily, the tension dissipating slowly. words are thrown around loosely, both getting more and more casual. yuta laughs at sicheng’s lame attempt of a korean pun, the latter grinning unashamedly. he slaps yuta’s back, making the elder flinch but still continue his laughter. 

soon, the neon sign of the coffee shop greets them. yuta pushes the wooden door open, a bell tinkling to mark his arrival. he immediately recognises the mop of brown hair behind the counter, and he spots another head of black at the cashier. 

sicheng trails behind him, seemingly foreign to the coffee shop. his eyes scan through the menu, mouth agape at the numerous choices on caffeine, tea and desserts. the menu is handwritten by the owners of the cafe, johnny and ten. the two were happily married and opened a coffee shop together as a result of inspiration from their honeymoon. “star blossom” is the relaxation place for many of the high school students, yuta being one of them. jaehyun and doyoung were lucky enough to land a job there, as countless applications were sent once there was a job opening. 

yuta walks to the register and clears his throat of the black-haired boy manning it. surprised, doyoung’s head whips upwards and he smiles when he recognises the basketball player. he tucks his phone into his apron pocket and asks, “what can i get for you today?” 

“one cup of black coffee and...sicheng? what do you want?” yuta swivels to the pink haired boy beside him. 

“um, one cup of chamomile tea?” sicheng slowly says, glancing at doyoung to make sure whether he got it or not. 

“one black coffee and one chamomile? anything else?” doyoung smiles reassuringly at sicheng, finger tapping on the register to key in the two’s orders. 

“nope, and takeaway please?” yuta says. 

doyoung nods, once again punching in the request. the printing of the receipt cuts through the momentary silence of the shop and doyoung rips it off. 

“that’ll be ten dollars,” doyoung reads from the receipt. 

yuta slides a twenty dollar bill across the counter, telling him to keep the change. surprised, doyoung mumbles a ‘thank you’ and hands over the receipt. sicheng sits down at one of the tables near to the counter while waiting for their orders. yuta, on the other hand, leans over the counter to tease his best friend. jaehyun’s rarely this serious on a daily basis, but whenever he’s working his shift, his face is stoic and his jaw is locked. 

jaehyun finally glances up and smiles when he sees yuta. he carefully puts the coffee powder into the coffee machine, turning to secure it. once it’s locked in, jaehyun slides a white paper cup that has the coffee shop’s logo printed on it under the dispenser. yuta has no idea what jaehyun is doing, but a few minutes later, the latter gives him a steaming cup of black coffee and three packs of sugar. 

jaehyun continues making sicheng’s order, bustling around to find the tea packets and sugar. he tells yuta that it’ll be a while before the water boils, and the latter nods, heading towards the sicheng’s table to join him. sicheng is scrolling twitter on his phone, giggling at memes. yuta doesn’t bother him, instead he pulls out his phone too and scrolls through some webtoons. 

suddenly, yuta realises something. it’s a friday and most of the local high school students are more prone to be partying rather than hanging out at a cafe. jaehyun and doyoung are working the overnight shift anyways, so why not just study here? there’s caffeine at their disposal and food too. he grins at his genuity and looks up from his phone. 

“sicheng?” yuta softly calls the younger. 

“hyung?” sicheng looks up from his phone. 

“do you wanna study here instead? both of them are working the overnight shift and it’s warm here too.” 

sicheng hesitates for a while, before finally nodding. he still has his physics exercises with him anyways and he also brought along his homework to the library just now. yuta stands up to tell jaehyun that they’ll be staying till late, to which jaehyun agrees. doyoung and him are normally bored during their overnight shifts anyways, two companions wouldn’t hurt. he finally finishes sicheng’s chamomile tea and carefully serves the glass cup to the chinese.

doyoung, who overhead yuta telling jaehyun that they’re staying over, joins the studying duo at their table. doyoung’s extremely swamped with his extra curricular activities, but by some sort of miracle, his grades are still tip top and his social life is intact, albeit limited. yuta’s envious, but every time he sees doyoung’s lack of athletic ability, he feels slightly better. doyoung beckons jaehyun to join them, and the younger immediately heads over to his boyfriend’s side. they were an unlikely couple, they both knew, with contrasting interests. little did they know, all jaehyun had to do to catch doyoung’s attention was to shoot a ball at his face and land him in the infirmary. doyoung was pissed, but jaehyun’s puppy eyes were irresistible and all it took to heal doyoung’s broken nose was one movie (and time). 

yuta fishes out his physics exercise book and plops it on the table, making sicheng jolt. he flips open his book to the forsaken question and taps sicheng with his pencil. the younger scoots closer to yuta to have a look at the question, and the japanese would be lying if he didn’t feel the room get ten times warmer. ignoring his hormones, yuta wiggles his finger at the book, saying, “i’ve been stuck on this question for so long, and i still can’t figure out the answer. it’s not even in the textbook!”

sicheng ignores his laments, eyes deftly scanning the words. he’s confused at first, but his brain kicks in and before yuta knows it, sicheng’s already frantically writing down unknown formulas and numbers. sicheng’s eyebrows are furrowed and he’s biting on the end of the pencil and oh god, yuta’s heart is beating faster than ever and he’s literally sweating because the chinese looks so utterly adorable. his heart feels light and suspended, and his stomach is somersaulting non-stop. in no time, sicheng finishes his scribbling and sets down his pencil with a satisfied expression on his face. he slides the paper towards yuta, gesturing at him to check the answers. he does so, and of course, sicheng is right.

get yourself a man that’s smart and adorable.

yuta snaps out of his thoughts and looks at the solution. the numbers make no sense in his brain and he struggles to comphrehend the entire equation. sensing his confusion, sicheng smiles and beckons yuta to pass the paper back to him. 

“so, you just apply this….” sicheng rambles on, hands animatedly pointing and circling every essential part. 

it takes around ten minutes, but finally, yuta understands. he feels relieved, and suddenly, the task of finishing his homework doesn’t seem as daunting anymore. 

“you okay now?” the chinese asks him with a gentle tone. 

“yes, absolutely yes. thank you so much for this,” yuta blurts out, the hint of gratitude and sincerity evident in his voice. 

sicheng blushes and heads back to doing his homework. both of them don’t talk much after that, busy in their assignments. it’s a comfortable silence, unlike the one they had while on the way here. it’s a relaxed one, whwre both boys are perfectly content with saying nothing and just basking in each other’s presence. that is, until sicheng reaches to take his calculator, but ends up grabbing a warm hand. 

oh fuck, he thinks. 

yuta is grinning at him, but his cheeks are flushed too. sicheng’s hand is now draped over yuta’s, his slender fingers resting on yuta’s rougher ones. the elder’s hand is warm, the heat searing but relaxing. the two boys are frozen in place, not knowing how to react but still secretly enjoying the sensation. sicheng’s head is bowed, he fights a smile creeping onto his lips. the butterflies in his belly are fluttering wildly and he feels breathless. it’s taking all his willpower not to scream wildly at the moment. 

yuta inhales sharply upon seeing the blush on the younger’s cheeks. his heart is beating steadily like a metronome set to allegro, frantic. fuck it, yuta thinks, what’s the worst that can happen. 

“sicheng, please don’t hate me for what i’m doing next,” yuta mumbles out. 

“w-,” sicheng tries to ask yuta, but before he can finish his sentence,

in one swift motion, yuta turns his hand over and gently interwines his fingers with sicheng’s. they’re actually holding hands right now, and a rush of adrenaline courses through yuta. sicheng looks extremely red, face dusted crimson. he’s struggling to regain his breath and his head feels oh-so-dizzy. he can’t believe he, dong sicheng, is actually holding hands with nakamoto yuta, his long-time crush. yuta’s hands are big, enveloping him, and not too sound cliche but their hands fit perfectly, like two puzzle pieces coming together. yuta’s hands feel like home, 家. 

gauging no other reaction from sicheng, yuta thinks, he must be embarassed. he then sighs and slowly unthreads his fingers from the gaps of sicheng’s hands. however, before he can pull away, the chinese tugs gently at his fingers, making him startle. he only smiles at yuta and entwines their fingers again, this time with a little squeeze, as if reassuring yuta that he’s not letting go anytime soon. whatever he’s doing is surely working, because relief washes over yuta’s thoughts. that, and a rush of euphoria. 

sicheng’s fingers are long and thin, and they feel….nice. extremely nice. they’re delicate too, as if they would shatter at the slightest force. yuta is happily on cloud nine at the moment, he’s finally holding hands with his crush. and his crush might also like him back! 

both of them are in utter bliss, but the sight of their notebooks send them back to reality and they carry on with their tasks. their hands are hanging loosely underneath the table, between the gap of their chairs. doyoung’s pencil falls down in midst of him doing a math question and he bends down from his chair to pick it up. suddenly, he lets out a gasp and hurriedly pulls jaehyun’s apron, making the latter jolt in surprise and bang his knee on the table. 

the hand holding duo look up from their book stimultaeneously, one raising an eyebrow and the other with furrowed eyebrows. doyoung gestures to their hands, gestulating wildly, making his own boyfriend confused. sighing, he beckons jaehyun to bend down too, pointing to their interlocked hands. the younger grins and says, “damn, yuta. i knew you had it in you.” 

yuta rolls his eyes and pushes back his bangs, earning another glup from sicheng, who’s also mesmerised with the bobby pins clipped at the side of yuta’s hair, making him seem so magical and beautiful, like a fairy. little does he know, yuta is staring at him with the very corners of his eyes, taking in the little details of him. the japanese memorises the curve and edge of his pretty face, eyes stopping at his plump, pink lips, before swiping down to the slant of his neck, resting on his adam’s apple. the glasses perched on sicheng’s nose only add to his innocence, making him seem more adorable and vulnerable than ever. 

sicheng lets out a yawn, and his arm reaching upwards to strech his wound up body. his coffee is also finished, and he’s about to ask doyoung cheekily for a free refill, before yuta cuts him off, “sicheng, you tired?” 

sicheng nods abashedly, eyes flitting from his books to yuta’s warm orbs. he doesn’t want to ruin the elder’s study session and cause him to leave his work unfinished. however, he is indeed very exhausted from the excessive amount of words and absorbing information. 

yuta nods and softly pulls out his fingers out of his grasps, smiling apologetically when sicheng pouts. he rapidly packs up his books and stationery, and sicheng does the same. a glance at the fateful calculator makes him giggle. who knew he would become indebted to a mere calculator? 

after packing up all their things, yuta tells doyoung and jaehyun they’re heading back to the dorms, earning a “good job, bro” and a suggestive wink from the couple respectively. the couple aren’t any better themselves, with jaehyun basically draped onto doyoung, his toned arms circling the elder’s waist and chin rested on his shoulder. he’s pouting, lips jutted in a down curve, and doyoung just smiles at him with gentle adoration dancing in his eyes. revolting. 

yuta and sicheng exit the coffee shop, wincing when the cold night breeze kisses their faces with alarming ferocity. sensing an oppurtunity, yuta swiftly entwines his fingers with sicheng’s, making the younger flush crimson (not because of the cold) and look at him. 

“wouldn’t want you to get cold, eh?” yuta snarkily says, his own heart bounding from the sudden courage. 

sicheng lets out a small “cheesy” but makes no move to release yuta’s hold. they continue on the path back to the dorms, filling the night wind with small talk and chuckles. it’s less awkward this time, the foreign feeling being replaced with familiarity. words are exchanged carelessly, each becoming more casual as they babble on. their footsteps are light with a spring, unknowingly celebrating their happiness. 

soon enough, they arrive at the dorms area. they live in separate blocks, being in different grades. they stop at the intersection of the pathway of the blocks, still clutching each other’s hands firmly. yuta lifts his gaze up to sicheng’s eyes, surpressing a small gasp when he finds himself drawn to the younger’s brown eyes. both of them smile at each other, looking stupid but very undoubtedly smitten. 

“so, this is it then. we’re back,” yuta says, stating the obvious. 

“well, yea. we really do need sleep,” sicheng retorts with a teasing lilt. 

“goodbye?” 

“goodbye, i guess.” 

“so eager to leave me?” 

“i always will be.” 

“keep telling yourself that, babe,” the endearment slips out of yuta’s mouth before he can stop himself. 

sicheng is momentarilly stunned, the mere word making his brain short circuit. he wants to mumble a lame insult back but before his mouth can even open, a pair of lips peck him on the mouth. he gasps, finger flying to touch his lips, as if he can’t believe it happened. although short, the kiss was sweet and comforting, and it tasted like black coffee. 

yuta only grins at him, letting go of their hands. he swivels back on his heels, heading to the elevator to go to his room. he blows a kiss and waves goodbye to sicheng, mouth curving upwards even more when sicheng just stands there with his mouth agape and thoughts a mess. 

maybe, homework isn’t that bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me at @yukhords on twitter hehe


End file.
